Eternal Despair
Eternal Despair is a storyline saga that was created by RoachTheIntelCollector on June 16th, 2018. It is the fourteenth storyline saga of the Roach Chronicles. It is preceded by The Greatest Threat of All and is succeeded by the Rebellion of Realms saga. Like most of Roach's previous works, it features five zombies maps. The story sees Samuel Higgins, Jacob Roberts, Patrick West, and Daniela Knight working together once more as they attempt to stop Nictis, the former ruler of the Cursed Realm, from acquiring the Dark Scepter, which would enable him to transform all of the universe into a new realm under his rule. The saga serves as the second part of the Ancient Evils Arc. Story Derailed In a cold frozen tundra in Northern Alaska shortly following Ataraxia's reign of terror, a 501st Corporation research team discovers a mysterious mask emitting a powerful substance of dark energy, which was frozen within the ice. Wanting to study the mask further, the team loaded the mask up onto a supply train, bound for a private research facility in Seattle, Washington. A few days later during a snowy night, an orange wormhole opens near the train. A dark being soon emerges from the rift, saying to himself that the mask was nearby, sensing its presence. Spotting the train, the being quickly chased it, and using his powers, shot a beam of energy at the tracks ahead of the train. As the train attempted to apply its brakes, it went over the break in the tracks, causing the train to derail as all of the train's contents spilled everywhere in the nearby proximity. As this happened, the mysterious mask flew from the cargo hold, where it landed somewhere in the snow nearby. Upon landing, the eyes of the mask started to brighten as the color of the eyes turned from a dark blue to a bright orange color. A powerful shockwave soon blasts from within the mask, sweeping over the train wreckage and nearby town. Suddenly, all who were affected by the shockwave, including survivors of the derailment and the inhabitants of the nearby town, started to gain bright orange eyes as their bodies started to decay into undead zombies. As screams of mass panic filled the air, four survivors emerged from the wreckage, who were all shielded by the shockwave thanks to the debris. As the four looked around at their surroundings, a swarm of zombies started to converge onto their position. With no other choice, the four ready their weapons as they prepare to engage the undead. As the group fights off the undead throughout the area, the group discovers a hidden bunker within the basement of a house within the town. There, they discover that it is a safehouse for Samuel Higgins, as well as a vault for some of his most secret of research projects. While exploring the bunker, the team discovers that Higgins' recent research project was on the Dark Scepter, an ancient weapon that if placed in the wrong hands, it could ultimately send the entire universe into catastrophic despair. Higgins' notes also gives out information regarding the Mask of Nictis, which belonged to the ruler of the Cursed Realm, Nictis. However, Higgins' notes reveal that the mask was separated from Nictis following the latter's escape from the realm, ultimately becoming lost on Earth. Realizing that the cause of the outbreak was indeed the Mask of Nictis, the four make it their top priority to secure the mask and extract it from the area. After searching the area, the team uncovers the mask's location buried beneath a pile of debris that landed on the mask. Upon grabbing the mask, the mask reacts to them, ultimately shooting out a beam of light into the sky. This alerts Nictis, who soon discovers the four with his mask. Disgusted, Nictis uses his powers to take the mask from the four's grasp. Nictis soon explains to the four of his concept of life, saying that it needs to be forever kept in check if it is to ever truly thrive from itself. Nictis then raises the Mask of Nictis into the air, saying that it is his job to ensure that life will be better for everyone before activating the Mask of Nictis. Nictis then puts the mask over his face, causing his entire body to surge up with orange energy. As the souls of the four are drawn into the mask, their physical bodies turn into zombies. Using their souls, Nictis ultimately learns what the four learned within Higgins' safehouse within the town, discovering the necessary information regarding the Dark Scepter's location on the other side of the world. With his mask back in his possession, Nictis would begin his plan, utilizing his mask's powers to turn the inhabitants of various different cities and towns worldwide into zombies. In an attempt to tie up loose ends, Nictis uses his powers to wipe out all of his zombie army within the proximity of the train wreck. Red Dawn Three days following the derailment of the 501st Corporation supply train, Nictis has successfully used the Mask of Nictis to trigger a zombie outbreak across the country, traveling to various cities within the country in order to spread the infection even further. As this happens, the five heroes are at a shopping district within Chattanooga, Tennessee with the goal of procuring supplies to fight against Nictis when the time comes. During this, Higgins explains more of his vision, saying that if Nictis learns the location of the scepter, then all of reality would be lost and become forever under his control. At that moment however, Nictis himself arrives at the city and begins using the Mask of Nictis to trigger another outbreak. However, just before he would leave, Nictis begins to sense an energy source similar to his own within the city. Curious, Nictis begins to search the city for the energy source. As the outbreak consumes the city, the five find themselves in the heat of action, where they take arms from the security station within the mall. Fighting off against the undead, the team learns through a radio broadcast that US Military personnel are extracting civilians throughout the city, with the broadcast stating that if a flare is launched from a high vantage point, a chopper will be able to extract them. Knowing that the military was their only hope in escaping, the four search for a way to access the roof. After discovering a broken elevator in the maintenance hall, the team is able to repair it, using it to travel to the rooftops. There, the team discovers a box of flares, using them to reveal their position to the military. However, a swarm of zombies converge onto their location due to the launching of the flares, forcing the five to defend their position. After minutes of fighting, the team is nearly overwhelmed and killed by the undead, but are saved by the timely arrival of the US Military. As the five are loaded into a chopper, Nictis arrives at the mall. As he watches the chopper fly away from the city, he spots Samantha in the chopper. Shocked by this, Nictis begins to tail the chopper to its destination, realizing that Samantha was the energy source he had been looking for. Mayday The chopper soon lands on an aircraft carrier just off the coast of the United States, which has been converted into a floating safehaven for survivors. As the five reached the hangar bay, which had been turned into a large shelter area, the carrier's captain informs the survivors that the United States has been given permission to sail to Europe, where they will remain until the infection is disposed of in the states. Just before the carrier would set sail, Nictis managed to board, disguising himself as a human. A week into the voyage, Nictis manages to sneak into the cargo hold, where he had stored the Mask of Nictis. Using the mask, Nictis begins another outbreak aboard the ship by turning nearly all of the military personnel and civilians aboard into zombies. As the ship soon fell into chaos, the five heroes attempt to escape, but find themselves stranded on the carrier with the undead hordes. With no other choice, the five proceed to fight for their lives, all while searching for a way off of the vessel. Eventually, the team is able to reach the bridge, where they discover that there was an emergency rubber dinghy inside a compartment within the second hangar. Traveling to the second hangar, they are able to obtain the dinghy and begin to move it towards the aircraft elevator. However, Nictis, still in his human form, appears from the shadows of the room, saying it has been a long time. Nictis transforms back into his original self, startling the heroes. Nictis soon warmly greets Samantha, saying that he had missed "his little girl". Confused, Samantha asks what he was referring to, saying her father was Ludvig Maxis, who had perished in the collapse of the Cursed Realm. Nictis says that Maxis was her father, but reveals that he was merely her adoptive father. Nictis then uses his powers to conjure the departed soul of Maxis, manifesting himself into a small hologram on the palm of Nictis' hand. Maxis then reveals to Samantha the cold truth; she was adopted, saying that he found her just as a newborn on the streets of Germany all alone. Nictis soon explains that she was born in the Cursed Realm, but Nictis deduced that the Cursed Realm was too dangerous to raise her in, so he sent her to Earth to be raised by someone else until Nictis could find a way out of the Cursed Realm himself. Maxis apologizes to Samantha, saying that he wanted to tell her for so long, but was unable to gain the courage to do so. Samantha forgives him, and Nictis peacefully returns his soul to his resting place. Nictis soon tells Samantha that they have to catch up on lost time, grabbing ahold of her arms. Nictis then apologizes to the other four, saying that they have outlived his usefulness to him before snapping his fingers, teleporting away with Samantha. At that moment, the ship begins to explode into pieces as it rapidly sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Throwing the dinghy over the side of the elevator, the team jumps overboard just as the ship explodes completely. As they swim to the dinghy, they watch as the carrier sinks to the bottom of the ocean in a fiery blaze. Climbing aboard, Higgins realizes that Nictis would now be heading to the resting place of the Dark Scepter. Higgins soon mans the helm of the dinghy, saying that it was going to be a long night as the group proceeded to travel northeast. Dark Solace At the castle grounds of Castle Solitude, a ball of energy forms before exploding, revealing Nictis and Samantha. Nictis tells Samantha that he knows that the Dark Scepter is here, revealing that he discovered information regarding the scepter's whereabouts from one of Higgins' safehouses, particularly the one in Washington state. Samantha questions why he even needs her, to which Nictis solemnly explains that there is no reason. Nictis tells Samantha that though he abandoned her on Earth, he only did it for a better future for her than rotting in the Cursed Realm, saying that he still loves her. As the sun starts to rise, Nictis tells Samantha that they have some work to do as the two walk towards the castle. A couple hours later, the other four arrive at the castle grounds with the use of the rubber dinghy they procured from the aircraft carrier. As they dock the dinghy, they encounter a swarm of zombies, which Nictis had created with the use of the civilians in the nearby area and from the corpses within the catacombs beneath the castle itself. Knowing that Nictis was here, Higgins tells the others that they must stop Nictis here and now, saying that if Nictis is able to obtain the Dark Scepter, everything that they've ever known will become forever cursed under Nictis' rule. The four then ready their pistols before engaging the undead. Meanwhile, Nictis and Samantha are traversing the catacombs in search of the entrance to the chamber housing the Dark Scepter. Samantha questions Nictis on what he plans to do with the scepter, asking him if he planned to harm her friends. Nictis denies this, saying that he planned to use the scepter to save the universe from itself, explaining to his daughter that with the Dark Scepter, he would be able to create a whole new world for everyone, saying that it will allow Nictis to safeguard every soul in the universe from the universe's own deadly potentials. As Nictis approaches a weakened wall with a symbol found on the Dark Scepter itself, he punches it, revealing a staircase leading into the Dark Scepter's chamber. Back on the surface, the heroes are able to gain access into the castle, where they are able to break open a seal into the catacombs. This alerts Nictis, who uses the Mask of Nictis to awaken a colossus stone warrior within the castle's central courtyard. Nictis then sends an illusion of himself up to the surface, where he greets the heroes. Nictis tells the heroes that they cannot win, saying that he will succeed. Patrick tells Nictis that they will beat him, saying that while he may have the power, they have the strength. Undeterred by this, Nictis unleashes the stone warrior on the heroes, saying that they are far from home before disappearing. As the Guardian Titan blocks the entryway into the catacombs, the four are forced to engage the monster. Back in the Dark Scepter's chamber, Nictis and Samantha discover the Dark Scepter, which is protected by an orange forcefield. Using his powers, Nictis lights up a blue fireball and blasts the walls of the chamber, revealing an ancient prophecy. Nictis reads the prophecy, reciting that if one wishes to obtain the Dark Scepter, they must ultimately sacrifice the thing in life they love the most. As Nictis falls onto his knees, Samantha attempts to flee, but Nictis seals off the room using his powers. As Nictis gets up, he tearfully tells Samantha that he is truly sorry, saying that obtaining the Dark Scepter is his ultimate destiny. As Samantha begins to deny this, Nictis summons a dark dagger before lunging it into Samantha's chest. As she falls onto the ground, Nictis comforts his dying daughter, saying that he was extremely sorry for everything that has happened. With her final breath, Samantha tells her father that she forgives him for what he's done and solemnly tells him that she loves him before succumbing to her wounds. As Nictis emotionally mourns over her lifeless corpse, the seal around the Dark Scepter collapses. As this happens, the heroes continue their battle with the Guardian Titan. The heroes are able to utilize explosive weaponry to destroy the legs of the monster, causing it to fall apart and break through the castle's courtyard, revealing the underground catacombs. As the four rush into the catacombs, they discover the entrance to the Dark Scepter's chamber. Rushing in, they see Samantha's dead body and Nictis with the Dark Scepter, tearfully crying. As Daniela asks what kind of father he was, Nictis replies that he was the remorseful kind before using the leftover energy still within the Dark Scepter to teleport away. As the four gather around Samantha's body, Higgins realizes that they have reached the beginning of the end. Curseworld As dark clouds form over the skies of Virginia City in Nevada, Nictis appears, having been teleported from Castle Solitude upon obtaining the Dark Scepter. As the scepter begins to glow blue, Nictis realizes that the scepter has brought him to a place sufficient enough to rejuvenate the Dark Scepter's energies. Learning that the city contains a large deposit of Element 115 beneath the city, Nictis begins to formulate a plan to utilize the Element 115 deposit to fuel the Dark Scepter with enough energy to tear open a rift to the Aether, where the Dark Scepter would be able to siphon off enough dark energy to allow Nictis to transform the universe into the Accursed Realm. Three days later, the four heroes utilize a Royal Air Force aircraft to return to the United States, where they see the destruction caused by Nictis. Using one of his devices, Higgins discovers that there has been a recent surge in unusual energy coming from an old mining town in Nevada. The four soon realize that Nictis has begun to process of restoring the Dark Scepter's energies. Knowing that they have little time to stop Nictis before the process can be completed, the four set a course for the city. Arriving a few hours later, the team discovers that the city is in ruin; a massive stone fortress floats overhead, where an X-shaped rift is formed in the skies above. As energy shoots out from the top of the fortress into the rift above, the skies continue to darken. Daniela realizes that Nictis is siphoning off energy from the Dark Scepter's homeworld in the Aether, which is stabilizing the creation of the Accursed Realm. As the four land the aircraft nearby, they enter the city, where they are contacted by Nictis. Nictis praises the heroes' persistence in trying to do what they believe is good, but Nictis denounces the four as the true villains, saying that they seek to stop him from forming a perfect new world, one free from the torment of the universe's wrath. Jacob tells Nictis that he is insane, saying that no one would ever follow him. Nictis laughs at this, saying that people are already following him to a better future before unleashing his undead army. The heroes soon fight off Nictis' undead army, battling throughout the city as the siphoning process continues above. Knowing they must sever the Dark Scepter's link to the Aether, the four devise a schematic for a remote grappling system in order to bring down Nictis' flying fortress. Scavenging throughout the town, the heroes are able to obtain the necessary items required to build the grappling system. Assembling it at City Hall, the four locate a suitable place to set up the grappling system, placing it beneath the fortress. The team then defends the grappling system as it charges up. After a couple of minutes, Higgins fires the grappling hook, where it hooks up to the fortress. The four are then able to pull the fortress into the ground, causing it to crash at a small park near the town square. Knowing that the final battle is upon them, the heroes prepare themselves for a brutal struggle. Entering the fortress, the heroes discover Nictis in the fortress' throne room, where the Dark Scepter was nearing completion in the siphoning process. Nictis reveals that bringing down the fortress didn't sever the link, but ultimately brought Nictis to the heroes. Seizing the Dark Scepter, Nictis tells the heroes that if he wants something done right, he has to do it himself, saying that he will not allow Samantha's death to be in vain before engaging the heroes in a final battle. The heroes desperately try to defeat Nictis, but their efforts prove to be futile due to his ever-growing power with the Dark Scepter. After knocking down the heroes with energy blasts from the Dark Scepter, Nictis tells the four that they are the true villains, explaining that with the Dark Scepter, he would be able to save the universe from itself and transform it into a realm under both his rule and protection. As the Dark Scepter finishes powering up, Nictis tells the heroes that it is time. With the Dark Scepter, Nictis blasts a powerful beam of energy into the skies above. As the heroes scream in horror, the rift in the sky opens even further, releasing the energy once contained in the Cursed Realm upon the whole universe. As the universe soon succumbs to this and transforms, Nictis laughs, welcoming the heroes to their new home: the Accursed Realm, telling them that they would spend the rest of eternity as its prisoners along with everyone else in the universe. Nictis then offers the heroes a chance to flee, telling them they have ten seconds to get out of his fortress, or else he would blast them with the Mask of Nictis and transform them into zombies. As the four flee the fortress and soon the city, Nictis heads to the fortresses' balcony, where he looks upon his new growing empire across the entire universe. Characters * Jacob Roberts (playable) * Daniela Knight (playable) * Patrick West (playable) * Samuel Higgins (playable) * Samantha Maxis (deceased) * Nictis * Ludvig Maxis (soul only) * Ataraxia (mentioned only) * Unnamed 501st Corporation Soldiers (K.I.A.) * Guardian Titan (destroyed) Maps Derailed.png|1. Derailed Red Dawn.png|2. Red Dawn Mayday.jpg|3. Mayday Dark Solace.jpg|4. Dark Solace Curseworld.png|5. Curseworld Weapons Like the previous sagas since Rebirth of Gruntijackal, all of the weapons are weaponry from Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Assault Rifles *KN-44 *XR-2 *HVK-30 *ICR-1 *Man-O-War *Sheiva *M8A7 *MX Garand *FFAR *Peacekeeper MK2 *LV8 Basilisk *M16 *Galil *KVK 99m *STG-44 *Volk Mk II *AXK-92 (added via update) Submachine Guns *Kuda *VMP *Weevil *Vesper *Pharo *Razorback *HG 40 *DIY 11 Renovator *HLX 4 *PPSh-41 *AK-74u *XMC *Bootlegger *M1927 *MP40 Light Machine Guns *BRM *Dingo *Gorgon *R70 Ajax *MG-08/15 Shotguns *KRM-262 *205 Brecci *Haymaker 12 *Argus *Banshii *Olympia Sniper Rifles *Drakon *Locus *P0-6 *SVG-100 *RSA Interdiction *DBSR-50 *XPR-50 Pistols *MR6 *RK5 *L-CAR9 *Marshal 16 *Rift E9 *1911 *Bloodhound *Mauser C96 Launchers *XM-53 *L4 Siege *MAX-GL Special Weapons *NX ShadowClaw *D13 Sector *Ballistic Knife Wonder Weapons * Ray Gun * Monkey Bombs * Tesla Gun (easter egg) Videos Alan Silvestri - Porch (From "Avengers Infinity War" Audio Only)|Main theme of the saga, as well as Nictis' theme. Trivia * Samantha Maxis is revealed to be the biological daughter of Nictis, having been born within the Cursed Realm before being sent to Earth by Nictis shortly after her birth. * This is the first saga since The Hands of Destiny to feature the death of one of the main protagonists, in this case being Samantha, who was remorsefully sacrificed by Nictis in order to obtain the Dark Scepter. ** Unlike Higgins' death in The Hands of Destiny, Samantha's death is permanent and is not undone at the end of the saga. * The saga's storyline was completed on June 16th, the birthday of the saga's creator. Category:Eternal Despair